As we leave a year that saw a higher percentage of students employed in summer jobs, Carleton students should be concerned about the path that lies ahead for 2018.
To kick-off this new year, the federal government has drastically changed the application criteria for the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program. This government program provides small businesses and organizations across the country with a grant to hire a student for the summer months. Hundreds of Canadian university students are able to find summer jobs every year because of this program.
Previously, any small business, community group, or charitable organization was eligible to apply through a merit-based application process. This year, however, the federal government has decided that organizations wishing to hire a student through the program must share the same social values and personal convictions of the federal government.
The new “attestation” on the grant application requires that organizations state their commitment to “reproductive rights” and the online application can’t be submitted unless the box is checked.
Many Canadians, especially students on a university campus, might not see the problem in requiring an organization to respect reproductive rights in order to apply for grant funding. However, the issue at hand is not about the controversial topic of abortion, but rather concerns the practice of certain values and political beliefs being forced upon Canadians—particularly students.
Canadian students live in a culture where dissenting opinions are increasingly shut out and silenced in order to protect the sacred safe space that is the university campus. Such was the case this past year at Wilfrid Laurier University when teaching assistant Lindsay Shepherd was reprimanded for presenting her students with an unpopular opinion regarding the mandated use of gender pronouns.
Many students have become accustomed to the stifling of debate on their campuses, but now it seems the issue has spread beyond the campus-bubble and into the student job market.
The sad reality that most students seem to be missing, is the damaging impact this government decision will have on their summer employment prospects. How many Carleton students will miss out on a chance to work for a summer camp, charity organization, educational group, or local business that is now ineligible to hire them due to their organization’s social convictions?
As young people who come to university to expand our minds and become better-informed citizens, we should appreciate the value of differing opinions.
What’s more—we should be encouraged to express, challenge, and develop our own opinions and those of our peers. How can we do that if the growing trend on and off-campus is to silence the opinions that don’t conform to the mainstream?
While it seems Canadian students can expect a more difficult time finding a summer job this year, we ought to pressure the government to respect the individually held beliefs of all Canadians—on all sides of the political spectrum.
Canadians are privileged to live in a country where our individual rights and liberties are guaranteed. If we don’t stand up for those rights then we risk saying goodbye to them.
